I saw young Hammond myself for an instant, without
knowing who he was, and I remember now thinking that he looked far too
ill to eat. I was lunching at the Stuart House myself when they came
into the dining room, you know."
"Plenty to hang him on, I see!" Penny cried furiously.
"There's a little more, Penny," Dundee went on. "Polly Beale and Clive
Hammond were mortally afraid that Ralph _would_ come to the cocktail
party! I'm sure Clive made Ralph promise to stay away, and that both
Clive and Polly did not trust him to keep his promise. That is why, I am
sure, Clive beckoned Polly to join him in the solarium, without entering
the living room to speak to Nita. You remember they said they stayed
there all during the playing of--"
"If you call it the 'death hand' again, I'll scream!"
"All right.... They stayed there until Karen discovered the murder. I am
sure they chose that place because of its many windows--they could watch
for Ralph's car, dash out and head him off. Take him away by force, if
necessary, to keep him from making a scene. I believe they knew he had
murder in his heart, and that he would find a way to get a gun--"
"Have you also found out that he stole Hugo's gun yesterday?"
"I have found that it was possible for him to do so," Dundee said
slowly.
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